You are here

Databases

According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans surveyed consider themselves lifelong learners. Many of them are "professional learners:" they take courses or attend trainings to enhance their job skills and career prospects. However, the vast majority are "personal learners:" they learn skills or subjects that personally interest them.
And while the Internet can be an indispensable tool for learning, a majority of personal learners say a physical space (such as a library or... Read Post

The hot, muggy weather last week prompted a patron to call the library with questions about the Boston Heat Wave of July 1911. I was able to answer her questions (some of which were quite detailed) using our historic Boston Globe database, which provides every single page of the Globe from 1872 to 1981. Using historic newspaper databases is not only a good way to locate facts, it's also a way to get a feel for the past often lacking in history textbooks. For example, scanning the headlines for... Read Post

You might already know about Hoopla, the online service that allows you to instantly borrow free digital movies, music, eBooks and more, 24/7 with your Somerville Library card. But did you know that the service just keeps getting better and better? Now you can even download and read comic books on Hoopla, including titles from DC (The Dark Knight, The Flash, Wonder Woman) and Vertigo (Sandman, V for Vendetta, Fables) There are tons of others too, including comics for kids (Adventure... Read Post

Hoopla is here! We are delighted to offer this new service that allows Somerville patrons free access to thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, and audiobooks for mobile devices and computers.
To start using Hoopla, download the free digital mobile app on your Android or iOS device or visit hoopladigital.com. Then, begin enjoying titles from major Hollywood studios, record companies, and publishers. Titles can be borrowed for instant streaming or for temporary downloading to... Read Post

On the go or at home, you can access all kinds of fun stuff from the library, for free! Do you love music? If so, you can download music from the Sony music library through Freegal. Listen to all your favorite artists all summer long! How about movies? Anyone? Soon we will be offering Hoopla which allows you to stream movies, music and audiobooks to your mobile devices. Since we don’t have this yet, I would... Read Post

Check out staff suggestions in the Teen Room's Women's History Month display.

by Eileen and Sujei
March is Women’s History Month, and teens can find plenty of inspiration in the stacks of the SPL. Understanding the impact and achievements women have had in many fields - science, the arts, politics, religion, to name a few - is important for not only girls but also boys to keep in mind. What these women have accomplished have enhanced and enriched the lives of both men and women, boys... Read Post

Introducing our latest database, Freegal! Freegal is a downloadable music service that offers access to about 3 million songs from over 10,000 labels with music that originates in over 60 countries. There is no software to download, and there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. All you need is your library card number and PIN!
You can search by keyword, artist, or album or use the advanced search page. You can also browse artists A to Z, see genre lists in dozens of... Read Post